In terms of bats, we are lucky. Our league balls are ridicolously soft. Which poses the other problem. There square after ten overs.
We lobbied for a ball change as the balls were from a previous sponsor that no longer sponsors league, but there ball use is still wrote in the league.
We had a chance to try new balls in a dead rubber, they were good held there shape and shine and had swing without being over the top.
In the oppo innings our number 3 put one in the woods in over 8, was never found again so there spare was a previous league ball.
In the report the opposition then slagged the new ball off despite only using it for 8 overs. So the league ruled to continue using the crap soft balls for the foreseeable future.
Cricket shot itself in the foot that day.